


It Sucked

by anonymous56789



Category: RWBY
Genre: Hallucinations, One Shot, Poison, Possibly Unrequited Love, Qrow centric, flash backs, inner thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 14:55:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10220735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymous56789/pseuds/anonymous56789
Summary: A further look into the events of Volume 4 episode 8 and 9. I wanted an explanation for some of the events that occurred so I made up my own. Really just explains why Qrow never told Ruby about his semblance even though they're apparently close. Delves into Qrow and team STRQ. Pure speculation and imagination. A little Summer Rose/ Qrow Branwen. A lot of focus on his Semblance and how it affects him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> His semblance damned him to a life of drunken isolation. It was almost laughably pathetic if it didn't hurt so fucking much.

It sucked.

It fucking sucked.

His semblance was generally more trouble than it was worth… and it made him more trouble than he was worth. It didn’t help that his niece was a little too noble and naïve to really understand why he always kept an arms distance away. It didn’t take knowing his semblance to see that trouble followed Qrow like it followed… well a crow. He’d never told Ruby or Yang simply because he’d hoped he’d never have to. Those hopes were screwed when he’d realized they’d gotten accepted into Beacon Academy. Still he hadn’t said anything and now, like most things, it was coming back to bite him in the ass. 

Qrow stumbled over a tree root as he continued his “walk”. He’d needed to leave the campsite, if only to prevent his semblance from further interfering with their night. It didn’t help that Raven was hovering in her other form. He knew she was just doing it to put him on edge but that didn’t stop it from being irritating. His sister always had a way of ruffling his feathers in a way that even Tai could never manage. Either way, the path was getting blurry and he could tell that Tyrian’s poison had definitely gotten into his blood stream and was now wreaking havoc on his body. Grumbling he turned around and started on his way back.

Sadly this was when his feet started to turn to lead; his limbs started to feel like they were melting when they began to give out on him. He dropped to his knees for a minute before a bout of viscous coughing narrowed his vision to pinpricks. When he finally caught his breath he looked up to see the raven that had been following him, gone. Smirking he struggled back into a standing position before continuing back to where the camp was. But he could feel his semblance working against him; throwing tree roots and bushes in his way, causing his vision to blur a little more from the poison. He grit his teeth and leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath. He had to turn this around. Calming himself he thought of their ever present enemy, Salem, and he goaded, pleaded, and begged his semblance. ‘Wouldn’t it be unfortunate for Salem if I made it back to camp… if I survived this poison? Wouldn’t it be unlucky for her if I lived long enough to cause her more trouble?’ 

Qrow didn’t know much about his semblance in spite of living with it his entire life. However he knew that even if he wasn’t in an immediate battle, if he could discern a specific enemy the results would be the same as if he were in a one on one battle. The problem was that it took enormous amounts of concentration. It was impossible to keep up that level of focus in a battle where each footstep had to be precise, each sword strike accurate. It was simply easier and manageable to stick to one on one fights where it wasn’t necessary to try and rein in his power. Keeping his focus on Salem he started toward the camp again. When he got there he finally collapsed against a tree. Smirking, he drifted off as he let the dwindling fire warm his melting feet. 

It was morning before the violent need to cough woke him and he could see Rin and Jaune staring at him. He turned his head and saw Ruby standing over him. ‘When had she-‘ His thoughts were cut off as pain shot through his chest and he started to cough again. The overwhelming feeling of drowning, clouded his mind. When he finally pulled his hand from his mouth he grimaced as he saw the purple staining it. “Well that’s unfortunate.” He said ironically, before he laid his back against the tree.  
  
Yeah his semblance really sucked.

The sad thing was that if it were anyone but Ruby he probably would have let the board fall and the opening that was created in that moment wouldn’t have been wasted. He might have even been able to kill the guy, or at least knock him out. In any other situation she would have noticed and jumped out of the way. But it was Ruby and of course she didn't... couldn't notice the fucking board. One of the two people left alive that he would throw himself in front of a train to protect… what were the odds of that…

His mind wandered and his limbs went from melting to seizing up in cramping pain. It shot through his bones and clawed its way around what was left of his heart. His heart was crippled when he had to tell Tai that Summer Rose was never coming back. He had found her. Of course he would… who else would have the luck of finding one woman in an endless land. He would never forget Tai’s reaction, no matter how much he wished he could. “Tai… she’s not…” He would trail off, his chest splitting in half with the knowledge that one of his few friends had died. 

He had loved Summer… really loved her. She was one of the few he would allow to fight with him, well not so much as allow as… couldn’t stop… And he had fallen in love with that, heaven help him, her silver eyes and annoying optimism. For a boy that had seen too much of the evil this world had to offer, it grated on him to see people who would only assume the best of others. However it was that stubborn idealism that allowed the younger girl to befriend him and Raven. She had realized the reason for his forced isolation and had drug him away from that for a short time. Of course it was his luck that she had fallen for Tai even as his sister seduced the golden haired man child. So he kept his emotions to himself and they followed Summer into her grave. He wasn’t sure he would ever be able to resurrect them until he’d met Ruby when she was two. Unlike her sister that drew everyone to her like the sun, the shy toddler hid behind Yang and only began to talk to him a week after his arrival while he was walking out of the door. He would never forget the soft, high pitched, “Goodbye”, that dug its way into his heart and never left. 

He hadn’t realized they’d stopped until he was moving again; jolted into awareness as someone pulled him up into a standing position. He limped along, his legs shooting pain through his body until he was put down. Desperately he grabbed for Tai; hoping to apologize for Summer’s death when he saw the sword… it couldn’t be Tai… He didn’t even feel his hand fall.

All he could hear was silence… and it was deafening…

When he looked up to see Ruby he smiled. It figured she would end up saving him. Summer had always had a knack for it and of course her daughter would inherit it.

What were the odds of that...


End file.
